A German officer and soldiers in a trench--the back of the photograph specifically reads, ""A German officer in a trench before Verdun."" Trench warfare was prevalent on the western front, and ""by the end of 1914, both sides had built a series of trenches that went from the North Sea and through Belgium and France."" If the trenches were laid end to end, they would cover an estimated 25,000 miles. ""The typical trench was dug around twelve feet deep into the ground. There was often an embankment at the top of the trench and a barbed wire fence. Some trenches were reinforced with wood beams or sandbags. The bottom of the trench was usually covered with wooden boards called duckboards. The duckboards were meant to keep the soldiers' feet above the water that would collect at the bottom of the trench."" (http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/trench_warfare.php) It was said that German trenches were generally better built than those of the Americans. The battle of Verdun (February 21-December 18, 1916) was the longest and costliest battle of WWI. ""Verdun was one of the most savagely fought battles of World War One. The Germans fired two million shells in the opening eight-hour bombardment, and tens of millions were fired over the course of the conflict. It was also the longest battle, lasting 300 days and leaving an estimated 800,000 soldiers dead, wounded or missing. At the end of the bloodshed, France emerged as the victor, yet neither side had much to show in the way of military gains. A deadly combination of strategy and circumstances ensured Germany and France fought on for nearly 10 months, even when the largest swathe of territory gained amounted to a mere five miles. Pride, politics and tactics would all play a role in prolonging one of the deadliest conflicts of the Great War."" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zydwtyc)